It was today announced that Eusébio will remain in hospital until at least Thursday, following his recent health problems. The 70-year-old was due to be discharged today but will remain under the watch of doctors as a precaution following a restless night on Sunday.

The icon of Portuguese football has been accompanying the Selecção in an ambassadorial role during their Euro 2012 campaign in Poland and Ukraine, but was taken ill late on Saturday evening at the squad’s base in Opalenica.

After consulting his doctor in Lisbon he was taken to hospital in Poznan where he underwent a coronary catheterisation which confirmed that he had not suffered a heart attack.

Eusébio underwent a heart operation five years ago, and still needs regular check-ups on his health following recent problems with hypertension. This is the former striker’s fourth visit to hospital since December, when he spent Christmas under the gaze of doctors.

However, despite this recent setback Portugal’s team doctor Henrique Jones is not too worried:

“From a clinical point of view I am optimistic because Eusébio is much better. He underwent a whole range of tests and the results were good. He is going to rest two or three days more.”

Stanislaw Rusek, a spokesman from the hospital in Poznan where Eusébio is being treated, was similarly satisfied with his recovery:

“The news is good. Doctors are satisfied that his condition is stable. I talked to him and I asked him if his heart hurt and he said “not at all”!”

Eusébio was born in the former Portuguese colony of Mozambique before moving to Portugal and achieving star status with Benfica, winning ten league titles, five Portuguese Cups and a European Cup during fifteen years with the club.

He is Portugal’s second highest scorer with forty-one goals in sixty-four appearances for his country, nine of which helped him to claim the Golden Boot at the 1966 World Cup. In 1998 he was named as one of the top ten all-time players by Fifa.  

At today’s press conference in Poland midfielder Custódio admitted that recent events have been a cause of concern for the players:

“We are following everything that is going on. I hope that he recovers as quickly as possible. On behalf of the entire group I would like to send him our best wishes.”

João Pereira echoed these sentiments, insisting that Eusébio’s force of personality will be enough to pull him through:

“We are all with him, but we know that he is a strong man. He has always shown this during his sporting career and afterwards. He is a symbol of Portugal. That is why we are not worried, because we are confident in his recovery.”

Doctors have ordered Eusébio to get plenty of rest, and suggested that once he is discharged he return to Portugal. However, the vice-president of the Portuguese Football Federation Humberto Coelho former teammate of Eusébio has admitted that his close friend is reluctant to do so:

“Eusébio is laughing and joking around. He does not want to leave.”

A Portugal team physician, Nuno Campos, will accompany Eusébio until he is released from hospital, where he will watch Wednesday’s semi-final against Spain on television under medical supervision.

The Portugal team will certainly be hoping for a favourable result so as not to put ‘The Black Panther’ under any more strain as he watches from his hospital bed.   

by Tom Clee